


where does it hurt? (everywhere)

by themetgayla



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movie)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Clueless Chloe, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Soft Aubrey
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-02
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2019-03-26 00:28:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13846227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themetgayla/pseuds/themetgayla
Summary: “god, of all the things she thought would happen with her sister here, this was not one of them. watching stephanie flirt with her best friend and crush of ten years is like a punch to the gut.”





	1. part one

**Author's Note:**

> soo i’m posting this on _you’re my sunshine (on a rainy day)_ but i thought i’d post it as a separate fic too!
> 
> **PLEASE READ:**
> 
> stephanie, beca’s sister, is an original character, kind of inspired by calamity (ruby rose) from evermoist.
> 
> by the way, i don’t ship mitchsen as a couple, but i love aubrey being protective over beca!
> 
> i hope you enjoy this mini multi chapter. enjoy!

“Beca, what’s going on?” Chloe watches, bewildered, as Beca runs around their apartment, frantically cleaning every surface visible. She arranges and rearranges the cushions meticulously, humming aggressively under her breath as she tries to focus. Flowers are pushed haphazardly into a jar and dumped on the windowsill, the bright daffodils brightening up the room considerably.

It’s February, so Chloe’s not quite sure where her roommate aquired the flowers, but it’s probably best not to ask. Not now, at least.

She’s never seen Beca like this before. The small brunette is messy; she has clothes strewn all over her bedroom floor — _“it’s called a floordrobe, Chloe!”_ — and she doesn’t wash up her own dishes. Beca actually tidying up at all is a miracle, let alone so thoroughly.

Beca pauses in her wiping of the coffee table, her eyes wide and frantic as she looks up at Chloe. “My sister is arriving in five minutes,” she mumbles.

Chloe freezes, and her jaw drops.

“You have a _sister?!_ ” She exclaims incredulously, half surprised, half outraged. “How come you’re only telling me this now?”

“We don’t get along.” Beca brushes past her best friend as she straightens out the cushions for at least the tenth time. Chloe stares, still shocked.

“Right… and you didn’t think to give me a little warning? Where is she staying?”

“Oh, she’s staying in a hotel. She’s only here for three days.” Beca finally comes to a standstill in the middle of their apartment, the duster still grasped between her fingers. Her previously styled hair is a mess, and her lipstick is a smudged from the amount of times she’s drawn her lip into her mouth to chew on it nervously.

“Becs, breathe.” Chloe moves over to where her best friend is standing, her heart melting as she sees the clear distress on her face. “It’s going to be fine, just relax.”

Chloe pulls Beca into a hug, rubbing her back soothingly. The brunette wraps her arms around the older woman’s middle and buries her face in her neck, inhaling the sweet scent of strawberries and cream. The scent of home.

“Thanks,” Beca whispers as she pulls away, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She stares up at Chloe, her stomach fluttering as the woman smiles warmly.

“Anytime. Anyways, how bad can it be?”

* * *

Bad. Very bad, is the answer.

Beca stumbles into the bathroom, pressing her hands against the cool ceramic of the sink as she takes deep, gasping breaths. _God_ , how could she be so _stupid?_

* * *

_**An hour earlier:** _

_Beca shoots up off the couch as the doorbell rings, the ringing echoing through the apartment. Swallowing nervously, she pulls open the door to reveal her sister._

_Chloe gasps when she sees her; she’s_ identical _to Beca._

_“Hey sis,” the woman says casually, offering a small smile as she steps into the apartment. Beca smiles tightly in response, choosing to stay silent._

_“Hi,” Chloe says, stepping forward from where she’d been standing in the background. Beca had never mentioned how hot her sister is. Well duh, of course she’s not; she looks like Beca._

_And anyone, male or female would argue that Beca’s insanely attractive._

_“Woah, Bec, you never mentioned how hot your friend is. It’s Chloe, right?” The brunette moves forward to greet Chloe, opting for a friendly touch on the arm instead of the usual handshake._

_Chloe nods her head mutely, temporarily stunned. This woman is just… wow. She’s speechless._

_“Awesome, I’m Stephanie, but you can call me Steph,” she says flirtatiously, shooting Chloe a sly wink. Beca balks from behind them, her stomach sinking as she watches Stephanie and Chloe interact._

_God, of all the things she thought would happen with her sister here, this was not one of them. Watching Stephanie flirt with her best friend and crush of ten years is like a punch to the gut._

_It’s a cruel reminder of her childhood. Stephanie had always been the prettier one, the more talented one, the nicer one, the more sociable one. Beca had been the outcast, the black sheep of their family. Even though they were twins, people would say_ “well Stephanie just has a prettier face than you, dear”.

_Beca’s glad her Aunt Cindy is dead._

_“Earth to Beca,” Chloe calls, waving a hand in front of the brunette’s face. Beca snaps out of her trance, swallowing thickly as she walks over to the kitchen silently._

_“She okay?” Stephanie asks, frowning. Chloe just shrugs, a little confused. She knows Beca was nervous for her sister to arrive, but she’s so much nicer than Chloe had expected, so she really doesn’t know what the problem is._

_Stephanie places a hand on Chloe’s wrist and smiles, subtly shifting closer to her so their bodies are pressed against each other, side by side._

_Beca watches from the counter, bile rising in her throat. Her heart cracks as her sister leans up to whisper something in Chloe’s ear, her lips brushing against the lobe teasingly. She watches the redhead shudder, a dopey smile spreading across her lips as she looks across at Stephanie._

_Never before has Beca hated Stephanie as much as she does now._

* * *

Beca had watched the two women talk, her heart in her throat, for the best part of an hour.

Stephanie made Chloe laugh in a way only she could, and god, there was so much unnecessary touching. Flirtacious touching.

As soon as Stephanie had left to go and check in at her hotel across town, Beca knew she had to be away from Chloe. She couldn’t look at her right now.

Beca breathes in deeply and exhales, trying to calm her sporadic breathing. She can feel panic bubbling up in her throat, threatening to overwhelm her.

But she’s used to dealing with panic attacks alone, so she knows she’ll be fine.

After a few more minutes, Beca’s breathing returns to normal, and she slides down against the bathroom door, her legs giving way beneath her.

“Becs, you okay in there?” A soft knock sounds on the door, and Beca’s chest constricts once more. _What if Chloe heard me? Then she’ll ask questions I really can’t answer._

“Yes yes, I’m fine,” Beca says, hoping the hoarse tone of her voice isn’t as audible through the door.

“You sure?”

“Yes.” She doesn’t mean to snap, but it just kind of happens and she isn’t about to apologise for it.

She hears Chloe take a step back on the other side of the door, and she tries to ignore the guilt that immediately stabs at her stomach when she hears the woman walks away.

Then Beca hears the sound of the door opening, and another voice inside the apartment. Aubrey. Beca sighs with relief. Ever since they’d become friends, Aubrey has been her biggest confidant.

It’s something neither of them would have expected, but something they’re both thankful for.

“Beca?” It’s Aubrey, standing outside the bathroom. Beca sighs.

“Yeah?”

“Chloe’s gone down to the shop quickly, do you want to come out now?”

Beca says nothing, but stands up slowly and slides back the lock on the door. Aubrey’s standing there, arms resting across her stomach as she waits.

“Hi,” the brunette mumbles, brushing past her friend and flopping down on one of the couches. Aubrey moves over to sit next to her and places a hand on her thigh.

“You okay?”

“Not really, no,” Beca admits.

“Wanna talk about it?” Aubrey’s hesitant as she asks, knowing that if she doesn’t tread carefully Beca could snap. Especially at a time like now, when she’s so vulnerable.

“Why her, Bree?” Beca’s voice is pained. She curls up into herself in the corner of the couch, wrapping her arms tightly around her legs as she draws them to her chest.

Aubrey thinks she looks so small and scared, and it’s unnerving. She’s not used to Beca crying and panicking. She’s used to the sarcastic badass she’s grown to love.

She’s not quite sure how to deal with Beca right now, but she’s adaptable, and knows she’ll be able to figure it out.

“Becs, I don’t know,” she says, sighing softly. She hates to lie. She has her own opinions on exactly why Chloe’s so enthralled by Stephanie, but she isn’t going to share them with Beca.

“We look the same. Why her? It must be my personality. It is, isn’t it? I’m too moody, aren’t I? God, Bree, why do I keep pushing her away? I just—” Beca cuts herself off as a choked sob escapes her throat. Her shoulders shake as she cries, burying her head in her hands.

Aubrey shifts closer and wraps her in her arms, stroking her hair soothingly. She knows it calms Beca down. “There there, sweetie,” she coos, pressing a kiss to the top of the brunette’s head. Beca snuggles into Aubrey as her sobs slowly lessen into soft hiccups, glad for the support.

* * *

“Bree, you’ll never guess what!” Chloe bursts into the apartment, a bright smile on her face. Aubrey looks round from the TV, a fake smile already plastered in place.

She’s still annoyed at Chloe for throwing herself at Stephanie, and is prepared to stick up for Beca in any way she can.

“What?”

“Stephanie took me to this _amazing_ coffee place and I tried these cute mini cheesecakes! Oh my god Bree, I think I’m in love.” Chloe sighs dreamily and falls down onto the couch. Her eyes are sparkling and she’s practically glowing and Aubrey wonders how the hell this happened.

Stephanie is like a casual, relaxed Beca.

Chloe doesn’t do “casual and relaxed”. Chloe’s full on. She’s bright and bubbly and intense. She’s _certainly_ not “relaxed”.

“Chlo, you _just_ met this woman. What’s so special about her?” Aubrey tries to ignore the twist of her stomach. Chloe is her best friend but _god_ , she can be so dense sometimes.

Aubrey can only imagine how Beca feels. It’s lucky the brunette is out. (She went for coffee with Stacie, claiming that she needed some time away from the apartment.)

“She’s just… she’s amazing. She’s so hot and sexy and just has this kind of effortless quality to her. But she’s also kind and sweet and funny. She’s perfect,” Chloe rambles, a wide smile spread across her lips.

Aubrey’s stomach sinks because _no no no_ , this is _not_ how it’s meant to go. Chloe’s supposed to realise she’s in love with Beca and they’re supposed to go on dates and have a family together.

It’s officially a crisis.

“Chloe, Stephanie is staying for _three days_. I’m pretty sure you don’t want to get into anything,” Aubrey insists. She can’t let the redhead do anything stupid, especially something that’s going to end up hurting Beca.

“She said she was going to extend her stay to a month. She’s never visited LA before and she wants to sightsee a bit. Plus, she ran into an old friend from high school and she wants to catch up with her.” Chloe seems so happy and cheerful that Aubrey feels bad about trying to bring her down.

But she just _can’t_ let this happen.

“Sounds like you’re pretty smitten,” the blonde comments drily.

“I am. Oh Bree, what do I do?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing? What? No! I’m going to ask her out,” Chloe says firmly, the cogs already turning in her mind. Aubrey’s eyes widen.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?” Chloe folds her arms across her chest defensively. Her eyebrows crease, and the smile on her lips turns into a frown.

“How do you think Beca will feel?” Aubrey says, tangling her fingers together. She taps her knuckles purposefully, hoping that Chloe will change her mind about this.

If she doesn’t, she has no idea what she’s going to do. Beca would be distraught.

“Why would Beca have a problem with it?” The fact that Chloe seems genuinely confused irks Aubrey more than she’d like to admit. How is Chloe so fucking blind?

But instead of snapping, the blonde takes a deep breath and forces a neutral expression. “You know how she is, Chlo. It’s her sister. You’re her best friend. It might be weird. And plus, Stephanie came to see _her_. You’ll be stealing her sister away.”

Chloe seems to absorb her explanation because she lapses into a thoughtful silence. Her nose scrunches up a little bit and her eyes shift focus.

It’s an expression Beca finds adorable. (Aubrey knows this because every time it appears on Chloe’s face, Beca points it out in a lovesick tone.)

“I think she’d be okay with it,” Chloe says finally. Aubrey fights the urge to stamp her foot on the floor. For fucks sake.

“You think?” If Chloe notices the fact her voice is suddenly an octave higher than usual, she doesn’t say anything.

“Yeah. I mean, she wants me to be happy, right? And if Stephanie makes me happy, I think she’ll be okay with it.”

Aubrey can’t argue with that, because she knows that when Chloe asks Beca’s permssion, the brunette will say yes.

The situation is now code red.


	2. part two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy! :)

“You want to _what?_ ” Beca’s voice is quiet and vulnerable and everything she hates. She shrinks in on herself as Chloe smiles hopefully at her.

“I want to ask her out! Is that okay?” The happiness in her eyes is so clear and it _hurts_. It hurts more than she’s ever imagined it could. It’s a raw, ripping pain in her heart and it’s pure _agony_.

Beca freezes as she tries to form a sentence together. She’s going to say yes, of course. How can she not? She wants Chloe to be happy more than anything, and if Stephanie makes her happy then that’s something she’ll have to deal with.

Chloe’s face starts to fall as the silence stretches on. The sadness that glistens in the redhead’s eyes snaps Beca from her pained trance.

“I... It’s fine,” Beca blurts. It feels like her heart is physically splitting inside her rib cage, but she swallows it down and forces a weak smile. It drops off her face within a second; it seems she can’t pretend as well as she thought.

“Are you sure?” Chloe seems to sense something’s wrong, because she takes a step forwards and reaches out. Beca jumps back instinctively and wraps her arms around her middle as though she’s holding herself together.

“Yes. I’m sure,” she snaps. She really doesn’t mean to, and the wide-eyed hurt that appears on Chloe’s face only worsens the stinging pain in her heart. “I-I have to go.” Beca turns and runs from their apartment, the door slamming after her with a sense of finality.

Chloe stares after her, confusion bright in her cerulean eyes, wondering what she’s done.

* * *

Beca stumbles down the stairs, desperate to get outside. She needs air, proper air. It’s like the world is spinning and turning around her and she’s standing alone in the middle, watching it crumble.

She needs Aubrey.

With trembling hands, Beca reaches into her pocket and pulls out her phone. She shakily taps in the blonde’s number, glad it’s committed to memory. (She’s needed it more times than she’d like to admit.)

It only rings once before the line is picked up. _“Beca, what’s up?”_

“Bree,” Beca cries into her phone, tripping as her legs give way beneath her. She sinks down against the wall in the corridor, her sobs wracking through her body.

 _“Oh Beca,”_ Aubrey breathes, the wheels turning in her mind. She knows exactly what’s just happened, and she knows she has to be there for Beca no matter what. _“I’ll come and pick you up. Where are you?”_

“In my apartment building. In one of the corridors.”

 _“I’ll be there in five,”_ Aubrey says quickly before the line goes dead. Beca lets her phone fall from her grip as she brings her knees up to her chest. She wraps her arms around them as she cries, big aching sobs that make her jaw hurt.

Her chest feels empty, emptier than before. Chloe’s just ripped her heart out and stamped on it, laughing at her while she did it.

Beca’s phone rings from the floor next to her, the screen lighting up with Chloe’s name. It has a stupid heart next to it, because she’d been too in love to say no when the redhead added it six years ago. She doesn’t know why she’s never deleted it.

In a sudden spurt of anger, Beca grabs her phone and flings it at the wall opposite her. She watches as it smashes with a resounding crack.

It feels nice to see something other than herself break.

* * *

Aubrey arrives a few minutes later, slightly out of breath. It’s clear she’s been running.

Her heart breaks as she sees Beca curled up in a ball, her head tucked into her chest. From the even rise and fall of her chest, Aubrey guesses she’s asleep.

She gently lifts the brunette’s head to see the glistening tear tracks on her cheeks and badly smudged eyeliner. Tears prick at her own eyes, because she knows just how badly Beca’s in love with Chloe.

Aubrey isn’t even sure she can imagine the heartbreak her friend must feel. Her heart hurts just thinking about it.

She doesn’t want to wake Beca, so she pulls her into her arms and picks her up. All her work at Fallen Leaves seems to have paid off. After carefully brushing the brunette’s hair from her face, she carries the small woman out to her car.

Stacie’s waiting in there for her, tapping her fingers anxiously on the steering wheel. She looks up as soon as the door to the backseat opens.

“Is she okay?” She asks her Aubrey cautiously, aware of how close the two girls are. Some would be jealous, but Stacie knows how faithful her girlfriend is. She’s just glad they finally get on after years of being at each other’s throats.

“No,” Aubrey says simply as she straps Beca in. She sighs as she closes the door and falls into the passenger seat beside Stacie. “God, this is such a mess.”

“Oh babe.” Stacie places a comforting hand on Aubrey’s thigh and rubs small circles slightly on the inside. The blonde’s shoulders immediately drop, the tension falling away.

“I just… This is so unlike Chloe, you know? I never thought she would do something like this.” Aubrey presses her fingers to the bridge of her nose and turns to Stacie. “What do I do? I want to be happy for Chloe but I just _can’t_. I have to support Beca through this.”

“Of course you do, baby. But you’re right, this is so unlike Chloe.” Stacie pauses thoughtfully, taking Aubrey’s hand in her own. “Um, do you think that maybe Chloe is doing this because she’s subconsciously pretending it’s Beca?”

Aubrey’s eyes widen suddenly. “Holy shit, Stace, you must be right! That must be the reason for Chloe doing this.”

Suddenly it all makes sense.

Of course Chloe’s been in love with Beca for years, and _of course_ she hasn’t realised it yet. Chloe’s trying to get over Beca without even realising what she’s doing.

“What are we going to do?”

* * *

Chloe’s sad.

She doesn’t exactly know why — well she kind of does, but it’s stupid — and she hates it. When Beca gave her permission to ask her sister out, instead of feeling happy, she felt almost sad.

She has no reason to feel that way; Stephanie is gorgeous and wonderful and she really likes her. She wants to ask her out. Doesn’t she?

Chloe doesn’t really know anymore. There‘s something about Beca’s response that doesn’t sit right with her, and it’s making her uneasy. She can’t help but think Beca doesn’t want her to date her sister.

She said it was okay. But Beca’s like that, isn’t she? She sacrifices things to make others happy, never thinking of herself. Chloe knew Beca would do anything for her, so what if the brunette had just said yes to appease her?

Sighing frustratedly, Chloe picks up hey phone and tries calling Beca again. She’s tried thirty times now, but it keeps going to voicemail.

 _Stop worrying, Beca’s fine with it. You’re overthinking things,_ she tells herself.

Chloe gets up from her bed and walks over to her closet. She’s going to get dressed, ask Stephanie out and definitely push all thoughts of Beca from her mind.

* * *

“Is she still sleeping?”

“Yeah, she’s clearly exhausted.” Aubrey sinks down on the couch next to her girlfriend and sighs. Stacie pulls her closer and snuggles into her side, enjoying the warmth the blonde provides.

“God, poor Beca. I just can’t believe Chloe would do this,” Stacie says. Aubrey presses a kiss to the brunette’s temple and runs her hand through her hair gently.

“Bree?” Both girls turns their hands round at the sound. Beca’s standing in the doorway, her face still red and puffy from her earlier breakdown.

She looks tired, so tired. Not just “I haven’t slept” tired, but the kind of tired that drains your very being. The kind of tired you feel when you’re losing hope, slowly giving up. There are dark rings around her eyes and her cheeks look a little more sunken than Aubrey remembers.

When did this happen? How has she not noticed? Now she thinks about it, Aubrey remembers Chloe telling how Beca sits awake on their windowsill in the early hours of the morning. Aubrey’s seen how Beca sometimes flinches at Chloe’s touch and retreats into her bedroom. She’s listened to Beca’s cries when Chloe cancels on their plans for a date.

At the time, she’d just thought nothing of it, but now she realises that the life has slowly been draining out of her, the light in her eyes gradually dulling onto nothing.

And suddenly everything is a whole lot worse.

Aubrey springs up from the couch and pulls Beca into her arms, cradling her head against her chest. The brunette wraps her arms tightly around her friend’s middle, soft sobs escaping her lips once more.

“Oh Becs,” Aubrey whispers, pressing a soft kiss on top of the small woman’s head. Beca just clings onto her more tightly, the action desperate.

Stacie comes up behind Beca and wraps her in a hug too. A group cuddle is definitely what she needs. Aubrey kisses her girlfriend over the top of Beca’s head, glad for the support.

“What do I do, Bree?”


	3. part three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> god, y’all really hate stephanie! i hate her too. just this chapter of sadness then in part four we see stephanie getting kicked out of the picture! enjoy :)

“Hey Chloe! What are you doing here?” Stephanie greets as she leans against the doorframe. She runs a hand through her hair and shoots Chloe an easy smile.

“I came to, uh, ask you something,” Chloe starts, clasping her hands together tightly. She smiles gently and bites her lip, surprised at how nervous she is to ask Stephanie out.

“Oh, sure, do you wanna come in?” Stephanie steps back and opens the door, her hand brushing Chloe’s back as she walks in. The redhead shivers slightly at the touch, a blush immediately rushing to her cheeks.

She makes her way to the couch in the brunette’s hotel room, fiddling with the strap of her black bag anxiously. Stephanie follows her, curious as to what Chloe wants to ask her.

Chloe stares at Stephanie, unable to help herself as she rakes her eyes up and down the smaller woman’s body. Stephanie really is stunning. Unlike Beca, she’s a casual dresser; she’s in mom jeans and a loose white t-shirt, tattoos all up decorating her arms.

It’s hot and sexy and Chloe really wants to run her hands over them. Stephanie also has a really hot tongue piercingn she wants to run her tongue over again and again. Why doesn’t Beca get a piercing there? That _would_ be really hot. Maybe even hotter than Stephanie’s.

 _What? Why am I thinking about Beca? I’m asking Stephanie out, not her. Why would I even think of Beca? Pfft, it’s not like I’d ever ask her out is it?_ Chloe frantically tries to push her best friend from her mind, oblivious as to why she’s even thinking about her.

Stephanie raises an eyebrow as Chloe just sits there, staring at her. “You okay?” She asks after a moment, waving a hand in front of the redhead’s face. Chloe snaps out of her semi-panicked trance and looks up at Stephanie’s face.

Smiling, she nods. “Yeah, I’m good. So, uh, I came to ask you a question.” Chloe pauses and looks down at hands for a minute. She gets a sudden feeling of dread, like she really shouldn’t be doing this. Swallowing thickly, she pushes it away and smiles again. “I came to ask you out. Like, on a date,” she finishes.

“Chlo, I’d love to!” Stephanie pulls her up from the couch and wraps her arms round her tightly. Chloe can’t help but get annoyed at the brunette’s use of “Chlo”. Only one person gets to call her that; Beca, and _only_ Beca.

 _Ugh, why do I keep thinking of Beca?_ Chloe holds onto Stephanie a little more tightly and presses a kiss to her cheek, focusing on the feel of the soft skin and definitely not on the thought of Beca’s rapidly falling face as she asked her permission about Stephanie.

The two girls separate, both with big smiles on their faces. “How does tomorrow evening sound? Shall I pick you up at seven?”

“That sounds brilliant.” Stephanie leans forward to brush a strand of hair from Chloe’s face. She tenderly tucks it behind her ear and continues to lean forward. Chloe panics and presses a quick kiss to her cheek before ducking backwards.

Kissing Stephanie would feel like cheating on Beca. She doesn’t know why and she suddenly hates all the weird feelings inside her she can’t explain, but it would. And so she can’t kiss her. Not yet, anyway.

“I better be off,” Chloe says suddenly. “I promised Aubrey I’d go shopping with her,” she lies. Stephanie just smiles easily and nods, making sure to keep one hand wrapped around the redhead as they walk to the door.

Chloe finds she isn’t sad to leave.

* * *

Beca avoids Chloe for the next three days.

She hears about the “wonderful” date from Aubrey. (Of course Chloe had told the blonde every tiny detail over about three hours. Aubrey had politely endured it — she had to be there for her friend, of course — but it had been hard.)

Beca had grilled Aubrey about it as soon as the blonde had stepped through the door of her apartment. The brunette’s been spending a lot of time there since The Incident™.

“Beca, Chloe’s starting to get worried about you,” Aubrey says gently, approaching Beca from behind. The small woman is making breakfast after staying the night, curled up on the couch.

“I can’t be around her right now, Bree, you know that,” Beca protests. She turns round and wraps her arms around Aubrey, burying her head in the blonde’s chest.

Aubrey sighs and hugs Beca back, kissing the top of her head softly. It’s getting ridiculous, really. She has to watch her best friend fall apart while trying support her _other_ best friend in her newfound love. She’s tired. So tired. But she can’t imagine what it’s like for Beca.

“I know sweetie, but she’s getting real suspicious.” Aubrey pulls away. “You need to go and talk to her.”

“No. Can’t I just keep hiding here?” Beca pouts and folds her arms stubbornly. She draws her lip between her teeth and bites down on it harshly, refusing to acknowledge the tears prickling in her eyes.

“No Becs, you can’t. You have to face her at some point,” Aubrey tells her, rubbing her thumb over the brunette’s cheekbone lovingly. “Come on honey, I’ll take you home.”

“Ugh, fine.”

* * *

“Hey Becs, I made us some pasta.” Chloe pokes her head round the door to see her best friend curled up on her bed. She sighs as she enters the room, her heart aching as she sinks down on the bed.

“I’m not hungry,” Beca mumbles, burying her head in her pillow. She hates feeling so shitty, especially with Chloe around, but there’s nothing she can do to stop it. She wants to be happy for the redhead, she really does, but she just can’t.

“But Becs, you haven’t touched anything I’ve brought you. You _have_ to eat today,” Chloe insists, placing a hand on Beca’s shoulder. The brunette flinches and curls up into herself even more.

“I don’t want to.”

“Beca, what is wrong with you? I haven’t asked because you’re not opening up to me willingly, but you’ve been avoiding me for three days now! I know you’re spending a lot of time with Aubrey and that’s fine, but even she won’t tell me what’s going on. I know there’s something, Beca, and I know it’s about me. Why can’t you just tell me?” Chloe’s voice breaks at the end as her eyes begin to water. Tears slide slowly down her cheeks as she clasps her hands together, squeezing them tightly.

Beca’s stomach flips as she hears the sadness in her friend’s voice, and she turns round reluctantly. Guilt slashes through her as she watches Chloe cry. She hates it when Chloe cries. It’s the one thing she really can’t handle.

“Chlo... please don’t cry,” Beca starts, placing a hand on the redhead’s forearm. Despite her promise to herself that she’d stop being so touchy with Chloe, she can’t help pulling her into her arms.

She whispers soothing words as Chloe cries in her arms, rocking her gently back and forth. The redhead wraps her arms tightly around Beca’s waist and buries her head in the brunette’s neck, inhaling the sweet scent of lavender. (Yes, Beca still uses the shampoo Chloe bought for her that one Christmas five years ago. She’s never been able use another one since.)

“I’m sorry Chlo. You know I’m not good at opening up to people. It’s just... I can’t tell you. It’s nothing bad, I promise. I just really can’t say right now. But I will tell you. Soon, maybe,” Beca says cautiously. She doesn’t want Chloe to be mad at her, but for obvious reasons, she can’t tell her what it is at the moment. No matter how much she wants to know.

“It’s okay Becs, I’m sorry I pushed you.” Chloe’s voice is laced with guilt, and it makes Beca’s heart ache, because despite all this, Chloe’s still _Chloe_. She’s still the bubbly girl Beca first fell in love with, still the generous girl that gives money to the homeless whenever she sees them. She’s still the kind-hearted girl that cooks her fancy dinners for no reason. Despite her dating Stephanie, she’s still all of that and more. She’s still _Chloe_ , and Beca could never blame her.

It’s her own fault, really.

“Oh Chloe, you have nothing to apologise for, seriously,” Beca insists, stroking a hand through Chloe’s hair comfortingly,

“Love you Becs,” the redhead mumbles against Beca’s collarbone, the movement of her lips sending a shiver down the brunette’s spine. She has to remind herself that Chloe only means it as _friends_ , and _nothing more_. Just as friends.

“I love you too,” she replies, except she means it for real.

* * *

As Chloe gets ready for her date with Stephanie, she can’t help but think of Beca. Ever since they fell asleep in each other’s arms two nights ago, she hasn’t been able to get the woman out of her mind. She doesn’t know what’s gotten into her.

Sure Beca’s her best friend, but now she’s starting to have _other thoughts_. Non-platonic thoughts. And it kind of scares her.

But Chloe’s not one to panic, so she puts it down to finding Beca attractive. After all, she is dating her twin sister; there’s bound to be some kind of attraction to her best friend.

And so she pushes it from her mind and continues to brush eyeshadow onto her eyelid. She’d wanted Beca to help her get ready, but the brunette had declined with claims to plans with Aubrey.

Chloe hadn’t really thought much of it. (She had.)

She’s excited to see Stephanie. They went out for lunch yesterday, and as usual, everything went brilliantly. They haven’t kissed yet, but Chloe can tell the brunette wants to. Every time she’s made a move to, she’s been unable to help herself ducking away.

She doesn’t know what it is. (She does.)

Signing softly, Chloe adds the final touches to her lipstick and grabs her clutch. Stephanie’s meant to be taking her out to this fancy new Italian Restaurant, and she can’t wait.

After slipping on her heels, Chloe pulls on her coat and leaves the apartment.

* * *

It’s been half an hour.

Chloe’s waited and waited and waited. And Stephanie still hasn’t arrived.

After ten minutes she’d put it down to bad traffic. After twenty minutes she’d wondered if she’d gotten held up somewhere. But now, after thirty minutes, Chloe knows Stephanie isn’t going to be coming at all.

She’d called her six times, and left her two voicemails, but she’d had no reply. The waiters had been eyeing her for a while now, shooting her pitying looks as she stared down at her phone screen, watching the minutes flick by.

One of them had even brought her a sympathy glass of wine at one point. (She’d downed it in one gulp.) They’d told her it was on the house.

Chloe hastily brushes away her falling tears as she taps in Beca’s number and raises her phone to her ear. The line is picked up after one ring.

“She didn’t come.”


	4. part four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im back! finally, i know. only one chapter left, now! hope you all enjoy it :)

Beca’s angrier than she thought she’d be. The thought of Stephanie standing Chloe up had, of course, passed through her mind a few days ago, but she hadn’t felt _nearly_ as mad as she does now. She doesn’t know why she’s so angry at her sister, because she should be glad, but the sight of Chloe sitting at that table when she’d picked her up had tugged at her heartstrings a little too much.

They’d gone straight home, the journey silent apart from the few words of comfort Beca offered as they drove off. Chloe hadn’t tried to make conversation like she usually would, and instead chose to stare out of the window at the passing traffic.

Chloe had disappeared into her room as soon as they’d stepped through the door of their apartment, muttering a quick thanks and something about being tired. Beca had just shrugged the quiet behaviour off, knowing the redhead must be upset, and retreated to her own room.

She’d tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep knowing that her sister had hurt her best friend and crush. (Although it’s not really a crush, is it?)

Beca had come up with a plan. But she supposes it’s not really a plan, because the only thing it involves is confronting Stephanie, and she still has no idea what she’s going to say. It was three am when she thought of it, okay?

She gets dressed and leaves the apartment before Chloe wakes up, but not before making the redhead’s favourite omelette and a latte. Beca leaves them on the counter, knowing the smell will wake Chloe up.

The drive to Stephanie’s hotel takes longer than she would have liked — why is everyone travelling on a Saturday morning? — but she finally arrives and parks. It takes less than five minutes to get her room number from the woman at the desk, and another five on top of that to ride the lift up to Stephanie’s room. (Why did she have to be on the top floor?)

Beca knocks loudly and with impatience, tapping her foot nervously on the carpeted flooring. She still doesn’t know what she’s going to say, but she’ll figure it out because she will _not_ stand for anyone hurting Chloe, no matter who they are.

She hears footsteps behind the door, and she’s glad Stephanie’s awake, because she would have knocked on the goddamn door till she woke up anyways.

The surprise on Stephanie’s face when she sees her is so obvious Beca almost wants to laugh. “Hey Stephanie,” she greets, offering an awkward half wave. Her sister just nods stiffly and opens the door, silently inviting her inside.

Neither of them speak at first, which Beca’s actually quite happy about, because she _still_ needs to figure out how to bring up Chloe. She decides starting with small talk and slowly easing into the topic is probably the best way forward.

“Why did you stand Chloe up?” She blurts, unable to help herself. Stephanie’s eyes widen and she shifts uncomfortably on her feet. Beca winces, because that really wasn’t the best way to say it, but it’s done now. She just has to hope now that her sister doesn’t kick her out.

She doesn’t.

Instead, Stephanie offers her a seat and disappears to make them both coffee. Beca thinks she’s taking it remarkably well, even if the surprise had stayed on her face for a little longer than normal.

Beca spends the next few minutes trying to formulate an actual plan, but she doubts she’s going to stick to it, so she gives up.

Stephanie returns a few minutes later, a streaming cup of coffee in each hand. Beca accepts hers gratefully, taking a big gulp before looking back up at her sister. The other brunette is watching her, eyes narrowed almost suspiciously.

Beca’s jealous of how good she looks this early in the morning. Somehow her messy bun looks effortless, and not like a dead badger just dumped on her head.

“So... anything else you’d like to say?” Stephanie asks, breaking the awkward silence. Beca takes one final gulp of coffee — she almost wishes it was something a _lot_ stronger — and clears her throat.

“I’d like an answer to my first question.”

Stephanie hesistates as lifts her mug to her mouth, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth thoughtfully. It’s an action that reminds Beca of Chloe, and her heart aches. “You care a lot about her,” Stephanie chooses to say, draining her coffee.

“Of course I care about her, she’s my best friend,” Beca snaps, glaring at her sister. Why won’t Stephanie just answer the goddamn question?

“Hmm,” the brunette says, leaning back on the couch to stare at Beca. She hums, her eyes faraway as she thinks. Beca just glares at her impatiently, tapping her foot on the floor. Stephanie meets her gaze and stares at her, seemingly trying to formulate the right words in her head. “Well, if you want a short answer: she’s in love with someone else.”

Beca’s jaw drops. Her heart stops.

It restarts two seconds later, but her jaw remains on the floor. “I... What?” She doesn’t quite know what to say, because _what the fuck is Stephanie on about?_ Chloe isn’t in love with anyone? Is she? Beca doesn’t even know what to think anymore. “A-Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure, Beca. She wouldn’t even kiss me. I could tell she liked someone else. She’d stare at me in this weird way, like she was pretending I was someone else. Trust me on this, I’ve been there before,” Stephanie explains confidently, leaning forward to rest her arms on her thighs. She adjusts her bun and brushes some hair from her face, waiting for Beca’s reaction.

"I'm just... I had no idea," Beca splutters, still trying to wrap her head around the idea that's Chloe Beale, her best friend, is already in love with someone. How could she not tell her? Beca thinks that's what hurts the most, because they've been friends for _so long_ , and she thought Chloe would tell her about something as important as this. Clearly not, though.

"Really? She said you were best friends. She really gushed about you... Oh." Stephanie trails off as her realisation suddenly washes over her face. She quietens immediately as she processes what just occurred to her. Beca stares, her brow furrowing as she tries to work out what just happened.

“What? Am I missing something here?”

“No no, definitely not,” Stephanie assures, schooling her expression. If Beca doesn’t already know Chloe’s in love with her, she can’t be the one to spill the secret. It’s certainly not hers to spill. Beca just narrows her eyes suspiciously, but doesn’t say anything.

“So are you going to tell her?”

“Tell who what?”

“You need to tell Chloe that you don’t want to date her anymore,” Beca says, as though it’s obvious. Stephanie nods absentmindedly as she studies her sister’s expression. “For god’s sake Stephanie, what is it?”

“Why do you care about Chloe so much?” Stephanie asks suddenly, watching with a smirk as Beca’s eyes widen. It takes a few seconds for her to morph her startled expression back into a neutral, slightly defensive one.

“As I said before, she’s my best friend,” Beca repeats, scowling. She crosses her arms across her chest, digging her nails into her arm as she fights the urge to just blurt out how much she loves Chloe Beale.

“You care about her more than that. Some may even say you’re—” Beca cuts her sister off with a pointed glare, the look so icy it could kill.

“Fine! Fine, you got me. I’m in love with Chloe.” Stephanie’s expression softens considerably at the confession, as though it suddenly made it so much more real. She feels a pang of guilt in her stomach, because she would  _never_ have gone out with Chloe if she had known.

“I’m sorry, Beca. I hope you know I’d never have agreed to go on a date with her if I’d known at the time.” The words are spoken with such honesty that it surprises Beca, and she comes to the conclusion that perhaps Stephanie isn’t as bad as she once was.

“It’s fine,” Beca says, shrugging, because doesn’t really know what else to say. Stephanie still looks so guilty and she hates it; it’s like staring at herself.

“But it’s not,” Stephanie insists. “I know you don’t like me, and I don’t blame you. I was horrible to you when we were younger, all because I was popular and everyone seemed to prefer me. I never understood it, but I just went with it. I’m sorry, I really am.”

Beca offers her sister a small smile, thankful for the apology. “Thank you. I guess I’m over it now, but it hurt to see you with Chloe, especially because we look identical,” she admits, playing nervously with the hem of her jumper.

“I can’t imagine, but again, I’m sorry. I hope it works out between you. I really hope I haven’t messed things up.”

Beca just shrugs, because she doesn’t really know what’s going to happen between her and Chloe. Probably nothing. Especially if Chloe’s in love with someone else.

Unless it’s her?

No, that’s stupid. Of course it isn’t her. _Stop dreaming, Mitchell. Grow up. Wake up._ Beca smiles weakly and pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, her mind whirring.

“So can you go and tell Chloe you don’t want to date her anymore?” She asks, expecting Stephanie to agree easily. The shake of her sister’s head surprises her, and she frowns. “Why not?”

“It’s too weird, now. She’ll figure it out,” Stephanie says, nodding confidently. Beca just stares at her, frustration rising inside her. She has to tell Chloe _somehow_.

But then an idea pops into her head. It’s stupid, really stupid, but it could work. It could definitely work. It’s probably the worst idea she’s ever had — and she’s had _a lot_ of bad ideas — but it’s worth a try.

“I have to go,” she says suddenly, rising from the couch. Chloe will probably be at their favourite coffee shop now, having brunch with Aubrey. Perfect. Stephanie stares at her curiously, but just nods and stands up. “I need one of your jumpers,” Beca adds, her tone firm.

She gets a very strange look, but Stephanie abides and fetches a soft knitted jumper from her bag. She doesn’t even ask her sister to bring it back.

“It was nice to see you,” Stephanie says softly as Beca steps out of the door.

“You too.” Beca turns and presses a kiss to her sister’s cheek, smiling gently. And then she turns and leaves, her small legs carrying her as fast as they can down the corridor.

* * *

Beca arrives at the coffee shop ten minutes later. She sneaks in through the back — they know the owners pretty well, so she knows she's allowed — and goes to the restrooms, shutting herself in a cubicle so she can change. Once she's done, she hides her clothes in one of the cupboards and quickly ties her hair up in the mirror.

She looks exactly like Stephanie.

The jumper hides the supposed tattoos on her arm, and she removes two of her earrings. Chloe will never know it's her. She's actually pretty proud of this plan, even though she's half expecting it to go wrong. Things always do when she's involved. Nevertheless, she's determined to execute this perfectly (or try to).

Taking a deep breath, Beca leaves the toilets and enters into the coffee shop, scanning the cosy room for Chloe. She spots the redhead at her usual corner table, talking animatedly to Aubrey.

The brunette tries not to fiddle with the hem of her jumper as she approaches, knowing it’s definitely not something Stephanie would do. She swallows back the lump in her throat and tries to stay calm. She’s a good actress. She can do this.

“Chloe! Fancy seeing you here,” she says brightly, glad that she sounds exactly like her sister. There’s no way Chloe will realise it’s not Stephanie; she knows Beca would never speak in a tone that cheerful.

Both heads whip round to stare at her, Chloe’s one of surprise, Aubrey’s one of disdain. Beca hopes never to be on the receiving end of that look ever again. Especially not for real.

“What are you doing here?” Aubrey half snarls, and it takes everything in Beca not to flinch in fright. Stephanie wouldn’t do that. Stephanie would stay calm and relaxed. She sees Chloe kick Aubrey lightly in the shin under the table, and she smirks.

“I came to talk to Chloe,” Beca announces, subtly wiping her palms on her jeans. _Stay calm, stay calm. Just breathe._

“You’re not welcome,” Aubrey snaps, glaring at her. Chloe’s eyes widen and she kicks the blonde again, this time hard enough to elicit a small wince. “Sorry,” she mutters under her breath, still glaring.

“Aubrey was just leaving, weren’t you Bree?” Chloe says, shooting her friend a pointed look. Aubrey rolls her eyes and stands up reluctantly, grabbing her handbag as she turns to leave.

“Watch what you say, bitch,” the blonde hisses as she passes, brushing Beca’s shoulder a little too forcefully to be accidental. The brunette nods silently and gulps, her palms sweating.

This is a _lot_ harder than she thought it would be. Beca slides into Aubrey’s chair and tries not to meet Chloe’s gaze as she attempts to formulate an appropriate sentence in her head. What would Stephanie say?

“We need to talk,” she says. Okay, perhaps not what her sister would have said, but it’s better than her _‘It’s me, I’m dressed as Stephanie because she didn’t want to break up with you’_ she had spinning round her head.

“That doesn’t sound good.” Chloe leans back in her chair and looks down at her hands, pretending to inspect her nails. Beca knows the nonchalance is only a facade. Having to do this is killing her, even if it’s fake.

“I don’t think we should see each other anymore,” Beca starts, licking her lips. She tries to sit upright like she knows Stephanie would, her shoulders pulled back in confidence.

“What? Why?”

“Well, it’s just a bit weird. I mean, isn’t dating me weird? Beca’s your best friend, and we look _identical_ ,” Beca says, her voice calm. She’s actually pretty proud, despite being a mess inside.

Chloe pauses, acceptance washing over her face. She doesn’t look as upset as Beca thought she would, which lessens the blow of having to “break up” with her slightly. “I guess it is a bit,” she agrees, tapping the table absentmindedly.

“You’re very sweet though.” Chloe smiles at the compliment, her blue eyes lighting up happily. Beca smiles back automatically, but it threatens to drop as she remembers it’s _Stephanie_ Chloe’s looking at, not her.

“Thanks! I guess I’ll see you around, then,” the redhead says, rising from her chair. Beca rises too; she knows this is her chance to escape. She’s so glad this went well. It was actually easier than she’d thought.

“Yes. It was lovely to meet you Chloe.” Beca stands up too and steps towards the older woman. Her heart rate spikes as Chloe leans in, clearly expecting a kiss. _Shit shit shit._ She’s never kissed Chloe before, obviously.

Beca’s imagined their first kiss, of course she has, but it _definitely_ didn’t go like this. Not dressed up as Stephanie, breaking up with Chloe because her sister didn’t want to do it herself.

She can’t just not kiss her, can she?

Her eyelids flutter closed as their lips meet, to tongues sliding together instinctively. Beca melts into the kiss, her arms moving to wrap round Chloe’s waist. The redhead presses herself closer, releasing a soft whimper as Beca bites down on her lip.

But then, before the brunette knows what’s going on, Chloe pulls back in alarm. She stares, wide-eyed, as if she can’t quite believe what she’s seeing. “Beca?”

Beca freezes because _fuck_. What is she meant to say? “Uhhhhh...” Panic bubbles up inside her, clawing at her chest. God, how _stupid_ could she be? Of course Chloe would realise it was her. How, though, she has no idea.

“Why are you dressed like your sister? Why were you pretending to be her? I’m so confused right now.” Chloe sinks back down into her chair and presses her fingers to the bridge of her nose. She releases a long, slow breath, trying t wrap her head around what just happened.

“I-I went to see her and she said she didn’t want to date you anymore because of... something, but she said she wouldn’t come and tell you herself. I didn’t know what else to do! I didn’t want you to just think she didn’t like you,” Beca explains desperately, her hands trembling. She sways slightly on her feet, the world spinning around her.

“Becs, why the hell did you do that? You really didn’t need go to this extent. You could have just told me.” Chloe frowns at her, brows creased, eyes narrowed.

“I’m sorry,” Beca whispers, unable to calm herself down. Her hands are shaking uncontrollably, her legs on the verge of giving way underneath her. She doesn’t know what to do.

And so she runs.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! please let me know what you thought :)


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